Chapter 376 - 374: First Night Landing on the Island, Is It an Eye?

The moment she passed through the fog and returned to the open sea, Faye Yardley had the system pull up the location of the Silver Treasure Chest.

’Heh heh~’

’So the system really can chart a course here on the open sea.’

’But isn’t this route just a *tiny* bit too far?’

Even with the raft going full throttle, she estimated it would take at least a year, maybe longer, to cover that distance.

Still, Faye Yardley adjusted the raft’s course and set off in that direction.

’My island is far from the chest’s location, but does that mean it’s just as far from every other island?’

’I doubt it!’

And so, an Ordinary Island Entry Order appeared in her hand. Without much hesitation, she decided to use it.

[You have activated an Ordinary Island Entry Order. You will arrive at the island in 3.5 hours. We wish you a pleasant visit!]

’Huh? Isn’t this island a bit far? It’s going to take three and a half hours.’

Faye Yardley glanced at the time and felt an urge to smack herself. It was almost 4:00 PM. In another three and a half hours... ha, she’d be landing on the island at night.

That was a first for her.

She usually activated them first thing in the morning. But now, fresh off her last excursion, she’d gotten too excited and completely lost track of time.

’Well, what’s done is done. No taking it back now.’

"Lucy White, let Kingston know we’ll be landing on an island in three and a half hours. I hope this one’s a little more interesting."

"Okay, okay! That’s great! I’ll go get ready."

That evening, Faye Yardley thought for a moment, then contacted a few people to see if they were interested in teaming up for the island.

Her brother, Zephyr Sterling, Master Veridian, and even Zachary Pierce all said they were very interested.

’Forming a team to go ashore then shouldn’t be a problem.’

Besides Lucy White and Cole Kensington, she could bring four more people—a perfect fit for the group she’d just contacted.

After getting changed, she ate voraciously, then began to check her backpack. It was a good time to restock her supply of torches and Blood Replenishing Potions.

The new Longbow she had crafted wasn’t just unique and eye-catching; it was also incredibly effective. It was effortless to draw and could even fire arrows formed from her own internal energy.

Faye Yardley found that aside from Light Wound, this Longbow was her favorite weapon. She even gave it a beautiful name: Falling Flowers and Flowing Water.

The sun sank below the horizon. Tonight, there was no moon in the sky above the sea, only a scattering of brilliant stars.

At that moment, the raft sailed into the familiar mist.

Faye Yardley invited everyone onto the raft one by one. Since they all knew each other, there was no need for excessive pleasantries.

Once the team was formed, Cole Kensington automatically melted into Faye Yardley’s shadow just before they reached the island.

[Friendly Reminder: You are about to arrive at Island 155. Please prepare for arrival. You may stay on the island for 8 hours. Please be mindful of the time limit.]

"155?!" Faye Yardley quickly pulled the "Islands 135-155" booklet from her inventory and flipped to the last page.

The picture in the booklet must have been taken during the day. The aerial view showed an island bursting with green—countless shades of it—with dense vegetation. A ring of white sand encircled it, making it look like a vibrant emerald set in the ocean.

She passed it around, but the others couldn’t see anything unusual either.

But then Lucy White hopped up to take a look and gasped, "There’s a giant eye on it!"

Faye Yardley and the others all turned to look at her. Master Veridian held the booklet out. "Where is the eye?"

Lucy White pointed to the very center. "See? Isn’t that clearly an eye? It’s wide open. It’s so creepy."

The others fell silent. They couldn’t see it. Not at all.

Then they looked up at the approaching island. There was no white sand beach. The shore was a clear, blood-red. The dense green vegetation was there, just as described, but the most eye-catching feature now was the myriad of twinkling, colored lights darting back and forth.

’If the beach weren’t blood-red, it would actually be quite beautiful. But with that, plus the eye Lucy White mentioned... this place is a total horror island.’

Of course, not one of them suggested backing out.

Just before they landed, Zachary Pierce offered a reminder. "Everyone be careful. Let’s not split up."

As her feet touched the sand, Faye Yardley felt like she was stepping on some kind of soft, fleshy tissue. ’Could this entire island be part of some giant’s eye?’ she wondered.

They landed one by one, intending to cross the red beach quickly, but Master Veridian stopped after only a few steps. "I’m not sure what I just stepped on," he said softly. "It’s hard, and... it’s moving."

Faye Yardley immediately drew Light Wound and plunged it into the sand next to his foot. A wet SQUELCH was followed by a high-pitched CHITTERING that reached everyone’s ears.

"Master, move your foot!" The words were barely out of Zachary Pierce’s mouth when the Master leaped to the side. Zachary’s giant sword immediately slammed down on the spot where his foot had just been.

A foul-smelling black liquid oozed from the red sand.

Faye Yardley couldn’t help but press her mask tighter against her face. Using her blade, she stirred the sand and uncovered the corpse of what looked like a mutated sand worm.

Digging around a bit more, she unearthed a green, fingernail-sized bead that was emitting a faint glow.

Just as Faye Yardley reached for it, Ethan Yardley stopped her. "I’ll get it."

A moment later, Ethan Yardley called out, "Everyone, search this patch of sand and see if there are more of these Green Pearls! This is good stuff, check it out."

[Island 155 Specialty—Green Light Pearl: Consuming it improves eyesight. After being soaked in Flower Dew, the resulting liquid can be dripped directly into the eyes to make them even brighter!]

Finding treasure right at the start was, of course, a good thing. The only problem was that the sand worm creatures let off an overpowering stench when killed. The more they dispatched, the more concentrated the smell became, a foul odor that the sea breeze couldn’t dissipate. It was quickly becoming unbearable.

After everyone had collected at least ten pearls, Faye Yardley spoke up. "Let’s head further in. We’re still early on our time limit. We can always come back and dig for more in the last hour or two."

Everyone agreed. After all, they all had a normal sense of smell and were simply suffering the stench in silence.

As they left the red beach, they saw small, glowing insects fluttering about. When they saw the group approaching, the bugs began to converge on them. They didn’t attack, but their numbers swelled, making the area around them grow brighter and brighter.

"We can’t let them keep gathering like this," Zephyr Sterling said. "If this continues, I have a feeling something bad is going to happen."

Faye Yardley nodded. "Then let’s get a move on. Since they aren’t attacking, we’ll press forward. Everyone remember to turn on the system’s auto-mapping function; it’ll help on the way back."

Even though she figured everyone already knew, Faye Yardley gave the reminder anyway. She then told Lucy White to stay close before plunging directly into the forest.

As they ran, the insects gave chase, gradually forming a ribbon of light that trailed behind them through the dense jungle...